News anchors, ‘new’ Dollys of Indian television

I recall vividly the first time I watched Dolly Bindra on television. I had to swallow a Panadol after hearing the shrieking by hysterical Bindra and watching her raving and ranting over everything under the sun gave me a headache. She had redefined “ghastliness” even more poignantly than probably the drama Queen Rakhi ever did or maybe they are at par in this game. But, their tactics to get attention (and they have succeeded largely) can be excused because they are entertainers and entertain they will at all costs for the sake of TRPs, even if it means behaving crassly and talking absolute gibberish. But, I don’t expect to be ‘entertained’ by news anchors with their nonsensical analysis of issues and events for the sake of TRP’s and sometimes by even creating their own ‘news’.

Television news now days are manufactured to ad nauseas levels. It is largely entertainment construed in the form of information. Or in short it is ‘infotainment’ to catch eyeballs. A daily ‘tamasha’ which involves news anchors who have not much regard for empathy or sensitivity of any kind and they sink to abominable levels of journalism. I was aghast with a ‘prime time’ show that a leading news channel had come up with quite immediately after the recent Mumbai attacks, the channel spoke to school children who studied in the vicinity of the blast sites. In my opinion, this was immoral and the channel was more or less ‘traumatizing’ children by making them relive the day. This is one of countless such ‘unethical’ incidents that are carried out by News channels today.

Even if there were some serious issues that needed addressing or debating, news today is relayed with very little appositeness. There are very few news anchors in India or probably none left who relay information with no vested interests. Their view is completely reflective of their channel’s allegiance to a certain agenda, party or group. News anchors on behalf of the channels they sometimes own even go one step further in steering so called ‘public’ (samples sitting in studios) opinion in a well-oiled trajectory. When the screen on your television is divided into six squares and each square holds the face of an intellectual or a pseudo intellectual, the news anchor is instrumental in shutting up the meekest, well meaning and logical voice from one square if it does not fall in line with the anchor’s thinking. Else, even if the loudest voice is logical and well meaning, the anchor will downplay that voice with absolute amusement. You have your say if you are on the same side as the anchor. Period.

Twitter is another ideal playground for some anchors. Twitter is an ideal forum for advertising news programs and opinions. When did news need advertising? It needed the minute one channel was at loggerheads with another competing channel to ‘break’ news. Every leading news anchor on Twitter advertises his programs and gives the times slots for them. No problem with that, but it gets ‘unethical’ when an ‘experienced’ anchor opines baselessly and creates a controversy. Twitter is ideal for sending feelers and it helps popular anchors to feel the pulse. On Twitter, jumping the gun is not a good thing and it can backfire terribly. Yesterday, a so-called ‘senior’ and ‘eminent’ news anchor from a leading news channel had tweeted without much ado in a rather harebrained fashion “only 2 winners in aarakshan debate. Prakash Jha whose film will now ’sell’ and Ramdas Athavale, dalit leader who has struck a ‘deal’”. Now, what this news anchor has effectively done is, he has tried to rake a ‘fresh’ controversy over what has already become a sensitive issue for nonsensical reasons. State Governments have now taken province over film censorship boards (as if they don’t’ have any other administrative roles to play) and we have a leading news anchor who has absurdly concluded in more than one way that Mr. Prakash Jha’s movie will now ‘sell’! In one stroke, the news anchor has certified Mr. Jha as an opportunist and a manipulative filmmaker who will do all that he can do to ‘unethically’ sell his product! The News Anchor has worn the cape of a revered adjudicator and magistrate and sits with a halo around his head. And I quote Mr. Bachchan who reacted to this tweet on his blog “For you Rajdeep, a journalist of such esteem, all that attracts you to a film you have not even seen, is the factor of its ’sale’ and the ‘deal’ that it will strike – an accusation that does not even have the basics of journalistic respect and truth. For those that have through years constructed something of such value, that its value may never be evaluated, all that you can sarcastically put across in typical word play that all journalists follow is, how amusing it can sound. That is so regrettable. Particularly so, because in a moment of truth you had disclosed to me privately, of how your idealistic periods of training were such a revered moment in your career. Is this a reflection of your reverence. Is this what it taught you? Go see the film Rajdeep, like it or dislike it, but I shall challenge you that you shall not have a word in disregard to the motive and bearing of the film. For, this film will have the capacity to make you think and nod in approval towards many truths, a desire that I would have and shall expect from people of your standing”

Mr. Bachchan has said all that needs to be said in less than a hundred words about the state of ‘anchorism’ and the Dollys of News today. News anchors give me a headache.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Author

Sharmila Ravinder is a qualified Accountant with a Finance background and has spent a good part of her life studying and working in India and Australia. She observes the dynamics of this versatile world and its effect on our day-to-day lives. She writes about the changing social, political and cultural climate in India and abroad. She immensely enjoys engaging in debates that encourage multiple narratives. A passionate animal lover, an avid traveller and a movie buff, she gleefully pens her thoughts in prose and sometimes in poetry too. A cat lover and always on the prowl, she has a keen eye for ordinary and extraordinary issues. She also blogs on www.sharmilasays.wordpress.com
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Sharmila Ravinder is a qualified Accountant with a Finance background and has spent a good part of her life studying and working in India and Australia. She. . .

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Author

Sharmila Ravinder is a qualified Accountant with a Finance background and has spent a good part of her life studying and working in India and Australia. She observes the dynamics of this versatile world and its effect on our day-to-day lives. She writes about the changing social, political and cultural climate in India and abroad. She immensely enjoys engaging in debates that encourage multiple narratives. A passionate animal lover, an avid traveller and a movie buff, she gleefully pens her thoughts in prose and sometimes in poetry too. A cat lover and always on the prowl, she has a keen eye for ordinary and extraordinary issues. She also blogs on www.sharmilasays.wordpress.com
Follow Sharmila
on FB:
www.facebook.com/pages/Sharmila-Says
Twitter:
@supershamz

Sharmila Ravinder is a qualified Accountant with a Finance background and has spent a good part of her life studying and working in India and Australia. She. . .